- The Congress has unveiled its report on national security.The report was made by a task force headed by Lt Gen(retd) DS Hooda.
- The report deals not only with external military threat and transnational terrorism but also with internal strife,Left-wing extremism and militancy, threats to data and privacy of citizens along with other concerns like economic,environmental and climate change.
- The five pillars of National Security Strategy have been identified as (a)assuming India’s rightful place in global affairs (b)achieving a secure neighbourhood (c)peaceful resolution of internal conflicts (d)protecting the people(Jan Suraksha) and (e)strengthening the country’s capabilities.
- The report points out that the defence budget had reached a 57-year low in 2019 in terms of percentage of the GDP.It also suggests the absence of critical initiatives to enhance defence capabilities coupled with short-sighted diplomacy had severely compromised national security.
- The report gives a detailed roadmap which says (a)to secure land & maritime borders it will adopt the principle of one border,one force (b)put in place a smart fence on the Myanmar border that combines technology with a physical barrier (c)operationalise a Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System across all Indian borders (d) speed up infrastructure development across the border and (e)set up a National Maritime Authority to remove jurisdiction issues in coastal security.
- The report adds that It will provide a statutory basis to the National Security Council(NSC) and the office of (the) national security adviser (NSA).Their powers and functions will be defined under the law and both authorities and the agencies under them will be accountable to Parliament.
